Baracoa is the city head of the municipal term by its own name in the province of East, Cuba.

Located on the northern coast and of the extremity this of the island, it was founded on 1512, being therefore first of the erected Colony and from its beginning with honors of city. Its founder, the advanced and conquering Diego de Vela'zquez. It was also the first city council and the first capital of the island. In her it was the first church, that already in 1518 was erected in cathedral with bishop by bula of Pope Leon X, the great Pope of the Renaissance, being its first bishop fray Bernardino de Mesa, the second fray Juan Garcés, who did not get to take possession, and third, fray Juan White, who transferred it to Santiago of Cuba, being extinguished the bishopric in 1522 by bula of Adriano Pontiff I SAW. The reason of the change was the one to have transferred Vela'zquez and their main companions to Santiago of Cuba, being hardly 50 inhabitants. Baracoa, however, having be in all time frequented unfortunately by smugglers, buccaneers, pirates and people of that unfortunate spade for the towns.

In 1803 a customs was constructed to the wharf of the port, settling down, that was qualified for the foreign trade by Real Order of 8 of May of 1859 and in July of the same year it was created the government possession. In year 1862 the first service of public lighting system settled down. Before 1950 it had several industries and a small volume of foreign trade that tended to grow. For want of regular and easy connection with the rest of Cuba, the National Company of Aviation established a regular service and in reasonable conditions of price.